Polaris: ECAL Asks Helinox to Rethink Light

What if a brand known for its chairs and ultralight outdoor furniture were asked to rethink something other than the seat — light itself? That is the challenge Helinox set for the Industrial Design Bachelor students at ECAL, in Lausanne: forget conventional lamps and subvert the brand's very DNA.

The premise

Camp furniture is one of the few object types where weight is an absolute constraint. That is what makes it a good school exercise, and what makes the exercise interesting when shifted towards light: a fitting that must fold, be carried, endure, and still look good once opened out. Helinox — the Korean brand whose alloy chairs fit in a bag and hold an adult — supplied the constraint; the École cantonale d'art de Lausanne supplied the answers.

Polaris

The result is called Polaris, a nod to the star that once guided travellers. It is a collection of prototypes that blurs the line between camping lamp and domestic fitting: a pivoting clip-on torch, a modular system built around a sunflower-shaped connector, a stretched textile square that diffuses a soft light, a self-deploying lantern that takes on the silhouette of a tent. Each piece poses the same question: how does light accompany us, out in the wild as much as in daily life?

The opening

The collection was unveiled exclusively in Paris for Paris Design Week, on Thursday 10 September from 4 to 7 pm. From 4 to 5 pm, a panel brought together Guilhem Floriet (Helinox) and Stéphane Halmaï-Voisard (ECAL), moderated by Thélonious Goupil; from 5 to 7 pm, the opening was open to all.

Getting there

Helinox — 79 rue du Temple, 75003 Paris. The opening took place on Thursday 10 September from 4 to 7 pm. We did not obtain the opening hours for the following days: call the showroom before you set out.

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